Teachers in Morgan Hill are not happy about the governor
’s proposed initiatives. Morgan Hill Federation of Teachers
President Donna Foster said Thursday that teachers are losing faith
in the governor’s commitment to public education.
Teachers in Morgan Hill are not happy about the governor’s proposed initiatives. Morgan Hill Federation of Teachers President Donna Foster said Thursday that teachers are losing faith in the governor’s commitment to public education.
“He is side-skirting (this is what she said, but i know she meant sidestepping or skirting, so change if you think it best) the whole issue of Prop 98, the promises he made last spring,” she said. “He has backed away from them and is refusing to discuss it. I find that kind of incredible … People did vote for Prop 98, and current polling would show people still want that. I don’t think public opinion has changed.”
As part of his budget plan for 2005-06, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger also proposed to withhold $1.4 billion from Proposition 98, which guarantees minimum funding for education based on a formula. The governor also wants school districts statewide to take over $500 million annually for teacher pensions.
During the last fiscal year, an agreement was made between the Education Coalition and the governor to set aside $2 billion of that funding to help offset the state deficit, but for one year only. The coalition, led by the California Teachers Association, has launched a public effort to oppose the governor’s plan, which would again suspend that funding.
The governor’s proposed budget came days after a study released by the Rand Corp., a nonprofit research organization, that compared funding and factors influencing student achievement in all 50 states. According to the report, California ranks 43rd in the country in per-pupil funding and has an average of 20.9 students to every teacher, compared the nationwide average of 16.1 students per teacher.
The governor has denied breaking his promise and claims his budget is a compromise, saying that under his plan, education spending would rise by $2.9 billion over this year and covers increases in enrollment and inflation.
The governor’s proposal to create a merit pay system for teachers, Foster said, is not a viable option.
“It’s not a thing of unions being opposed to it, as it is said to be, it’s just how do you measure that merit,” she said. “The second concern is about the divisiveness of it all. Research has shown that collaboration and ongoing work together as teachers brings more success in an educational environment.
“Merit pay gets away from the kind of environment you want to create, more combative and less sharing … It hasn’t worked anywhere that I know of.”
Foster said that a teacher of a non-core subject which is not tested at the state level would be difficult to rate, if the merit pay is linked to state testing scores, and teachers in vocational education would be particularly difficult to assess.
There is a merit pay system “on the books,” said Foster, that was proposed by the California Federation of Teachers under former governors Pete Wilson and Gray Davis.
“(The union) led a movement to create compensation for teachers who received national board certification,” she said. “Those teachers would receive a $10,000 bonus … This is an extremely intense program in credentialing … It is still on the books and could be used as a form of merit pay, but merit pay tied to work done and research accomplished.”
Another of the governor’s initiatives addresses teacher tenure, which Foster said is widely misrepresented and misunderstood.
“It is a myth in California that tenure is what stops a bad teacher from being dismissed,” she said. “During the first three years, a teacher is closely mentored, has many opportunities for growth and improvement.
“If after that time, performance is not satisfactory, the teacher is dismissed with no further conversation around it … Our evaluative procedures are just like in business, they provide for due process.
“No teacher in the Morgan Hill School District or in California wants to work with someone not competent, not fully engaged in this profession. As in any business, you’re entitled to due process, and if the process is followed, they (unsatisfactory teachers) are dismissed.”
Marilyn Dubil covers education and law enforcement for The Times. She can be reached by e-mail at md****@mo*************.com or by pho-ne at (408) 779-4106 ext. 202.
